Philippa Kaur

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    in Theater

    Interview: Linus Karp – Still living his Jellicle life

    It’s hard to remember, but inbetween lockdowns last year, we actually did get some live theatre! And one of those was Linus Karp’s wonderfully titled “How to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical ‘cats’”. Its original run was cut slightly short, but as the saying goes, you can’t keep a good cat down and Linus is bringing his show back soon, not just London but around the country too.

    Being a good friend of ET’s, we thought we’d catch up with Linus to find out just what to expect from him in 2021 (spoiler alert – even more Jellicle) and whether he can still squeeze into that figure hugging cat outfit (spoiler alert – he won’t say).

    You actually managed to perform in October to a live audience, how lucky do you feel given we headed into another lockdown soon after?

    It was so perfectly timed – for that one week everything just felt into place. After all the cancellations and every project lost to 2020 it felt unreal to get to experience a week like it. Not only was it the first time performing live for *too long* – but also the first time in way too long that I got to see many of my friends. The Christmas run was less fortunate with the timings however…

    And how well did you feel it all went then?

    It was almost surreal how well it went. It’s the first show I’ve written, and having not been able to perform for so long it was incredibly nerve wracking – so to be embraced by sold out audiences, wonderful reactions and great reviews felt like a dream. A rather nice publication called Everything Theatre called it “An absolute joy” for example. Ah, thanks, you know flattery will get you everywhere, or at least an invite back for another interview anyway.

    Being the shows first run with an audience, did you learn anything; any major rewrites needed?

    I mainly learned about delivery probably – how, when presented in the right way, an audience is game to go on a journey with you, however ridiculous or jellicle that journey might be. No major rewrites – but throwing in a couple of new things and some polishing of what’s already there. 

    So you’ve not spent the last few months rewriting the show, what have you been up to instead?

    Trying my best to stay jellicle in all the awfulness! I’ve slowly been working on new shows that are as ridiculous as this one, I’ve gone on long walks in the woods and hosted weekly zoom performances of classic Simpsons episodes. I’ve also done some university guest lecturing which was a thoroughly jellicle experience.

    The show is heading back to Lion & Unicorn again in June, is that a good venue for you?

    It’s a wonderful space, above an equally lovely pub, it’s reasonably local to me, and – most importantly – it’s run in a really nice way. The AD David Brady genuinely cares about and supports the visiting companies and lets you put on shows in a way that’s fair financially – which really isn’t as common as it should be in the theatre world.

    Then you’re off on tour. How difficult has it been planning a tour when venues may still need to operate on reduced capacities?

    It’s been tricky, the show’s seen many cancellations and much rescheduling. I’m very grateful that the venues I’m visiting have been so keen to have the show and on making it work. I’ve also made sure the show is as flexible as a cat – it works whether it’s a socially distanced audience or not, and it’s just me on stage.

    Your last show toured extensively, will Jellicle be the same? Are you getting prepared to live out of a suitcase for the next year?

    Haha! I think it’s a show that travels really well. Unlike Awkward Conversations With Animals I’ve F*cked, this one doesn’t come with a double bed which always makes touring easier! I’m starting with quite a small tour, but would absolutely be open to the idea of going to many venues across the country. After being locked in my flat for so long it’d be wonderful to see the world again – and to spread the important message of jellicality of course!

    Given we’ve had another few months of lockdown since you last performed the show, any risk you won’t be able to squeeze into your costume come June?

    Ha! I guess you’ll have to be there to find out!

    As always, our thanks and gratitude to Linus for his time to speak to us. How to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical ‘cats’ will be performed at Lion & Unicorn Theatre between 1 and 5 June, before heading on tour.

    Confirmed dates as of time of writing:

    1 – 5 June: London, Lion & Unicorn – BOOK HERE25 – 26 June: Cambridge, Town and Gown – BOOK HERE2 – 3 July: Birmingham, Old Joint Stock – BOOK HERE8 July: Poole, Lighthouse – BOOK HERE13 – 15 July: Bristol, Alma Tavern and Theatre – no booking link currently available. Theatre website HERE

    Further dates are likely to be added. Please check here for updates. More

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    in Movies

    Bruce Dickinson to Co-Write Film About Siege of Sarajevo Concert with 'Anvil' Director

    WENN/Hein Hartmann

    The Iron Maiden frontman admits that ‘crafting a story to bring the emotions, madness, tragedy and triumph to the screen is no easy task,’ while his collaborator Sacha Gervasi shares their goal with the movie.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is teaming up with “My Dinner With Herve” filmmaker Sacha Gervasi to co-write a screenplay about the rock concert he headlined during the Siege of Sarajevo in 1994.

    The rocker and his band, Skunkworks, were smuggled into the city by United Nations officials to play a concert as the Bosnian war raged around them.

    The gig was captured for the documentary “Scream for Me Sarajevo”, which also covered the siege – the longest in modern history, lasting over 1,420 days and resulting in the deaths of over 11,000 people.

      See also…

    Dickinson was later awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Sarajevo for his bravery.

    Announcing the new film this week (ends April 30), Bruce said, “The few incredible days I spent in Sarajevo with my solo band pre-Christmas in 1994 were some of the most intense of my life.”

    “Crafting a story to bring the emotions, madness, tragedy and triumph to the screen is no easy task. My own journey was as a long haired heavy metal singer driving through firefights into a city that had been under siege longer than Stalingrad. Mine was not, of course, the only journey taken on that day, and afterwards, at home in London, I left behind in Sarajevo travelling companions on the road of life. This movie is actually dedicated to their story, not mine.”

    Gervasi added, “The real story of the kids and local musicians who attended that show is as poignant as it is inspiring. Many of them didn’t make it. As Bruce has already said, we hope this film will be a tribute to them.”

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    in Television

    Janet Mock Rants Against Hollywood at 'Pose' Premiere After Only Getting Paid $40,000 Per Episode

    Instagram

    During her speech, the producer and director of the show also apologizes to boyfriend Angel Bismark Curiel as she admits to having cheated on him during the show’s production.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Janet Mock has finally let things get off her chest at the “Pose” premiere. When delivering a speech at the event, the executive producer and director of the FX drama could not help but rant against Hollywood after claiming to have only gotten paid $40,000 per episode.

    “F**k Hollywood,” the 38-year-old began her fiercy speech at the Thursday, April 29 event, per The Daily Beast. “This makes you uncomfortable? It should. It should make you f**king shake in your motherf**king boots. This is speaking the truth. This is what ‘Pose’ is.”

    “Why am I making $40,000 a motherf**king episode? Huh? Do you know who the f**k I am? Do you know what I f**king mean? Huh? I am angry,” the transgender rights activist continued stressing. “This is truth. This is motherf**king truth.”

      See also…

    Janet went on to apologize to fellow executive producer Our Lady J by saying, “I tried to shrink you to make myself bigger. Why couldn’t I just love you?” She then added, “I f**ked up, y’all. I forgot who the f**k I was. They want me to come up here and pretend… I don’t need Hollywood, honey. You know why? Cuz I’m f**king free.”

    Elsewhere in her speech, Janet also apologized to boyfriend Angel Bismark Curiel as she admitted to having cheated on him during the show’s production. “Let me tell you something about love,” she said, according to Page Six. “Today, I was gonna let [Angel] go. I was gonna let you go, right, but what did I do? I f**ked someone on the crew, right?”

    “Angel, Angel. I’m not losing you. You hear me? You are f**king important to me. I don’t want to live in a house alone. I want you. You motherf**ker. Right there. That’s who I want,” she continued. “I’m getting what’s mine.”

    After giving some inspirational words for cast members such as Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson and MJ Rodriguez, Janet further expressed her anger to the industry. “It’s a show, but it means so much to everyone to ‘ensure that we enable black and brown trans women to make it’ because that sounds good,” she said sarcastically. “It makes you comfortable to talk like that because then I don’t scare you into facing the f**king truth. You all have stomped on us.”

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    in Television

    Billy Porter Struggling to Say Goodbye to 'Pose' Because the Show 'Healed' Him

    FX Networks

    The ‘Kinky Boots’ star describes the cancellation of his hit television show as ‘bittersweet’ because he found starring on the groundbreaking series very healing for him.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Actor Billy Porter is struggling to say goodbye to his hit show “Pose” because it really healed him.

    The groundbreaking programme, created by Ryan Murphy, Steven Canals, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband Brad Falchuk, is set amid New York City’s gender-nonconforming drag ball culture scene and shot the flamboyant entertainer, who played Pray Tell, to stardom.

    As the Emmy winner prepares for the launch of Pose’s third and final season, Billy admits he will always consider the show “a gift” because he was able to “heal” while making it.

    “It’s bittersweet,” he shares of bidding farewell to “Pose”, “but I will say what a gift it has been, as a person who lived through the AIDS crisis and made it to the other side, to be able to go back and revisit that time, and in this new pandemic time remind the world that there is hope, there is joy, that there is love, and if we can just come together and get to the other side, it’s going to be OK.”

      See also…

    “There’s a healing inside of this season I think that the world is ready to receive and I’m just so grateful… to be called to tell this particular story,” he continues on America’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan”.

    “It has been life-changing… I think, you know, it’s about closing one chapter and the rebirth of me personally, Billy. You know, I’ve been able to grow through Pray Tell, I’ve been able to heal through the character of Pray Tell, and Pose in general.”

    “And I’m ready to embrace now telling a different story, moving forward as Billy, so I’m really, really, truly grateful for this…”

    “I’m ready for all of the good things,” adds the star.

    The final season of “Pose” debuts on America’s FX network on 2 May.

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    in Television

    'Jeopardy!' Winner on 'Racist' Hand Gesture Accusations: It's a 'Terrible Misunderstanding'

    NBC

    His statement arrives after a group of 467 former contestants of the game show penned an open letter to the show, demanding an apology from the show’s producers for not censoring a controversial hand gesture in an episode.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Three-time “Jeopardy!” winner Kelly Donohue has reacted to the open letter penned by several “Jeopardy!” alums in which they accused Kelly of making a racist hand gesture on the show. Taking to his Facebook account on Thursday, April 29, Donohue insisted that this was a “terrible misunderstanding.”

    “I’m truly horrified with what has been posted about me on social media. I absolutely, unequivocally condemn white supremacy and racism of any kind,” so Donohue wrote on the post. “People who know me personally know that I am not a racist, but for the public at large it bears repeating: I am not a racist and I reject and condemn white supremacy and all forms of bigotry for the evil they are.”

    He went on saying, “It’s shameful to me to think anyone would try to use the stage of Jeopardy! to advance or promote such a disgusting agenda. During the taping of my fourth episode, I was simply raising three fingers to mark my 3rd win. There was nothing more I was trying to indicate.”

    In the statement, Donohue said that he “deeply regret this terrible misunderstanding. I never meant to hurt a soul and I assure you I am no friend of racists or white supremacists.”

    Explaining why he deleted his previous post, he wrote, “I removed the previous post because the comments were more than I could bear. I stand by the statement itself and you can find it reported in other media. I did, however, understand the fair criticism that I did not include a forceful condemnation of white supremacy in my initial statement. I hope my feelings on that matter are clear now.”

      See also…

    This arrives after a group of 467 former contestants of the game show penned an open letter to the show, demanding an apology from the show’s producers for not censoring a controversial hand gesture in an episode of the long-running game show. “A recent contestant has caused concern among ‘Jeopardy!’ viewers for two separate occurrences,” the letter read. “We, as former contestants, feel the need to speak out against the messaging that these choices communicated — either intentionally or unintentionally — by the contestant Kelly Donohue and, implicitly by association, the producers of ‘Jeopardy!’ ”

    The letter referred to Kelly who was captured on camera holding “his thumb and forefinger together with his other three fingers extended and palm facing inward, and he tapped his chest.” The letter noted that that the gesture was extremely similar to the gesture “coopted by white power groups, alt-right groups, and an anti-government group that calls itself the Three Percenters,” adding that such gesture must be censored.

    “We know that contestants sign morals and ethics-related agreements when they prepare to appear on the show, and we would ask the production team to evaluate this situation within that framework. Finally, we hope to see changes made so that future mistakes of this magnitude never make it on air,” it concluded.

    “Jeopardy!” has yet to comment on the matter.

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    in Television

    Olivia Williams to Play Camilla Parker Bowles for 'The Crown' Season 5

    WENN

    The ‘Counterpart’ actress has been signed on to play the future Duchess of Cornwall, taking over the role from ‘Promising Young Woman’ director Emerald Fennell.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Olivia Williams will play Camilla Parker Bowles on “The Crown”.

    “The Nevers” actress will take over the role of the future Duchess of Cornwall from Emerald Fennell in the upcoming fifth season of Netflix’s regal drama, which will cover the most volatile period of her relationship with Prince Charles; before and after the death of Princess Diana.

    According to the Daily Mail newspaper columnist Baz Bamigboye, Olivia underwent a “chemistry test” with Dominic West, who is set to play Charles, to see if they were compatible on screen together before she was offered the role.

      See also…

    As well as Dominic taking on Charles – who was played by Josh O’Connor in the third and fourth seasons – the cast refresh for the next season of the drama will see Imelda Staunton taking over as Queen Elizabeth from Oscar winner Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies handing over Prince Philip to another former “Game of Thrones” star, Jonathan Pryce.

    Lesley Manville will replace Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret and “Tenet” actress Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Diana in the latter part of her life, taking over the role from Emma Corrin.

    It was previously reported producers were hoping to land “Fleabag” star Andrew Scott to play Prime Minister of the time Tony Blair, but he would need to rearrange other commitments in order to be available for filming.

    Meanwhile, rumor has it, the producers haven’t found an actor to play Prince Andrew. “Prince Andrew is one of the most unpopular members of the royal family and wannabe stars aren’t exactly queuing up to play him,” a source claimed.

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    Oprah Winfrey Gushes Over Drew Barrymore's Green-Screen Chat Effect on TV Show

    WENN

    The former daytime talk show host thanks the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ actress for pioneering green-screen chat technology as she uses the effect for her own ‘Oprah Conversations’ show.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Oprah Winfrey was so impressed with the green-screen technology Drew Barrymore used for her “Charlie’s Angels” reunion on her U.S. talk show, she has stolen it for her new series.

    Drew was joined in the studio by Lucy Liu last year (21), but Cameron Diaz had to be beamed in so it looked like she was sitting next to her former co-stars – and Oprah was watching.

    Appearing on “The Drew Barrymore Show” on Friday (30Apr21), Oprah said that seeing the show changed her life.

    “You have changed my work life…,” Winfrey said. “There you all were and we didn’t know that you all weren’t in the same space. I watched that and I said, ‘Hey, why can’t we do what Drew did?’ ”

      See also…

    Oprah has been conducting green-screen interviews with virtual guests for her AppleTV+ show, “Oprah Conversations”, ever since and reveals her first was with former U.S. leader Barack Obama.

    “There we were, sitting right across from each other in my living room…, and I said then, ‘This is because of you, Drew, so thank you.’ ”

    And Drew and Oprah believe green-screen interviews will be the way to go for many TV hosts.

    “I’ve heard people say, ‘After Drew, I’m not going nowhere,’ ” Oprah added. “The truth is you’re able to have better access…”

    “In terms of having access to anybody in the world at any time, what you all did in that first show lit the path for changing it forever.”

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    in Television

    Julianna Margulies Turned Down $27M Payday for 'E.R.' Return to Study Buddhism

    WENN

    The Carol Hathaway depicter reveals in a new interview with Oprah Winfrey that she rejected a huge payday for TV return and chose to embark on spiritual journey instead.

    May 1, 2021

    AceShowbiz –
    Julianna Margulies turned down $27 million (£19.5 million) to return to “E.R.” for a seventh season following a sign from the universe.

    The actress received a huge offer to film another two seasons of the beloved medical drama, in which she portrayed Carol Hathaway, but was ready to try something new, contrary to the advice of her agents and loved ones.

    “I was going back to New York to go and do this play and then all this money came up,” she tells Oprah Winfrey in a taped interview for this weekend’s “Super Soul Sunday”. “Everyone I asked said, ‘You’d be crazy (not to sign on). Take the money, take the money.’ ”

    “I felt very alone because I had already planned what I was going to do before they had offered me that money. I had my life planned.”

      See also…

    Rather than taking her friends’ advice, Julianna asked the universe to send her a sign to guide her decision making, adding, “I had heard a friend got some spiritual books and I had been studying some Buddhism, so I went (to a bookstore) and I ran my finger down a shelf and I picked out a book, Awakening the Buddha Within.”

    “I brought it home and I said nothing. I walked into my bedroom, I opened the book, I closed my eyes and I (pointed to a random line) and I opened my eyes and the line was, ‘I knew I wanted to learn more, not earn more.’ ”

    Julianna originally signed up for a guest role on the show, but recently revealed George Clooney urged her not to take another job afterwards because he was sure producers would want her back as a permanent cast member.

    She recalled, “George called me. He said, ‘If you’re thinking about taking a job, I urge you not to. I think in the next couple of days, you might be offered a series regular role.’ I was like, ‘But I died! How does that work?’ He was like, ‘I don’t know, but I think it’s going to work.’ ”

    “I was about to go do Homicide: Life on the Street, because I had done two episodes of it before I did the pilot of ER and they wanted me back. I didn’t take the job. And a week later, they (ER bosses) called and said, ‘We’re going to make you a series regular.’ ”

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